


beneath the milky twilight

by eirana



Series: The Techie Bible [2]
Category: Adam Lambert (Musician), American Idol RPF, Kris Allen (Musician)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-08
Updated: 2012-02-08
Packaged: 2017-10-30 19:32:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/335297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eirana/pseuds/eirana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Whoever this guy with Brad was, he was cute.  If there was a handbook on what kind of guys Adam usually went for, this guy would be the diagram accompanying the description.</p>
            </blockquote>





	beneath the milky twilight

Adam Lambert did not like being kept waiting.

Especially if the person in question was Brad Bell.

He hadn’t wanted to set foot on this campus ever again. He’d graduated three years ago, and he’d kept his solemn vow to never, ever darken this school’s hallways ever again.

Until now.

Because Brad just _had_ to see people, and he just _had_ to reminisce about old times, and Adam just _had_ to remain friends with this particular ex.

One of Brad’s many talents was aggravating Adam. In fact, it was his specialty.

Nevertheless, he was happy that Brad was still in his life. It’d taken them both some time to get past the painful breakup, but it was worth it. Brad had been, and still was, one of his closest friends. That was why he’d agreed to pick him up from this hell hole.

High school was something Adam was more than happy to leave behind.

He’d had it all: the bad skin, the baby fat, the hiding in a transparent closet. It hadn’t been all bad, but he’d spent a large majority of it feeling more awkward and out of place than any normal teenager did. He hadn’t really fit in anywhere, except maybe in choir or theatre, and he’d kept mostly to himself.

Graduating had given him the opportunity to grow, to leave behind the image of Adam Lambert: awkward teen and become Adam Lambert: the man.

Great. Just being here was making him think like a character in some sort of coming-of-age dramedy. He was _so_ over this.

“I swear, if Brad doesn’t get his ass out here in the next five seconds, I’m abandoning him,” he muttered murderously.

Just then, he heard Brad’s laugh fill the air.

“About time!” Adam shouted at his distant figure.

As he came closer, he realized that Brad wasn’t alone. There was a slightly taller figure with him, rocking back and forth as they walked. They were holding hands and–were they skipping?

By the time Brad and his companion had reached the concrete bench Adam was sitting on, he had confirmed that, yes, they had been skipping and whoever this guy with Brad was, he was cute. If there was a handbook on what kind of guys Adam usually went for, this guy would be the diagram accompanying the description.

“What took you so long?”

“Unlike you, princess,” Brad said with an eye roll, “I actually liked high school, so excuse me for enjoying myself while visiting this dump.”

“Liar. You couldn’t wait to get out of here,” cute guy said, a crooked grin on his lips.

His very nice lips. That bottom lip was especially nice. He could just imagine how nice it’d look wrapped around his-

“You’re supposed to be on my side!”

“I’m sorry, Brad.” He threw his arms around Brad’s neck and planted a sloppy kiss on his cheek. “You’re still paying for me, right?”

“Of course, sweetie.”

Adam cleared his throat and watched in amusement as Brad and the cute guy turned to him in unison and– _whoa_. Cute guy and Brad had a very strong resemblance to each other. He’d noted it on some level when he’d gotten his first close look at them, but having them side-by-side was a bit jarring. Judging by the smirk on Brad’s face and the amused smile on the cutie, his reaction to their physical similarities was showing on his face.

He shook his head to clear it, putting on his most winning smile and holding a hand out to the still unnamed cute guy. “Hi, I’m Adam. And you are?”

He shook Adam’s hand with a firm grip. Adam noted the calluses and the long, strong fingers; he had nice hands.

“Kris. With a K,” cute guy–Kris–said with a wide smile, his voice low and sweet with a hint of a Southern twang.

“You grow up down South?”

Oh, smooth, Lambert.

Kris’ eyes lit up. “I lived in Arkansas until I was thirteen.”

Okay, maybe it was smooth.

Kris had nice eyes, too. Hell, the boy was nice all over, if Adam was being honest. They stood there, just smiling at each other. Adam thought he could spend hours smiling at Kris. Kris with his pretty smile and his pretty eyes and his strong hands.

Brad coughed lightly and he realized he was still holding Kris’ hand. Reluctantly, he let go, biting back a smile when Kris’ face dropped at the loss of contact.

“Kristopher here is my less fabulous doppelganger. He’ll be joining us this evening so he can continue his tradition of mooching off of me.”

“You know you like spoiling me.”

“Only if you promise to shake your ass for me, sweet thing,” Brad said with a cheeky grin.

Kris shook his head. “You haven’t changed a bit.”

“You know you’ve missed this.”

“I really have,” Kris sighed.

Adam scowled. Being jealous of his ex getting mooned over by a guy he just met wasn’t a good thing. This was ridiculous. It was as if just setting foot on campus had made him regress into a teenager.

“We should get going now,” he said abruptly, walking to his car without waiting for the other two to follow him.

“What crawled up his ass?” Brad whispered to Kris as they slowly followed Adam.

“I don’t know. You did keep him waiting for twenty minutes.”

“It’s not my fault you had to hug to every single person we ran into on the way out.”

“But if I ignore someone, they feel bad.”

“Always thinking of others.”

Adam’s jaw clenched at the tenderness in Brad’s voice. He yanked open the car door and got inside, slamming it shut behind him. He heard Brad and Kris stumbling into the back, giggling and whispering like little kids. He turned on the radio and turned up the volume, trying to drown out their laughter. Adam heard them start to sing along to the song playing, loudly and without any regard for being on-key.

It was going to be a long night.

~*~

If Brad didn’t know any better, he’d think Adam was jealous.

Except he and Adam had finally gotten through all that post-breakup bullshit and were finally at a place where things were good between them. He doubted Adam wanted to fuck that up.

But Brad knew Adam, knew his moods, and right now, he was definitely jealous. He might as well be glowing neon green. It’d be subtler than the white knuckled grip he had on his glass or the vicious way he tore into his burger.

Kris, bless his oblivious little soul, had no idea Adam had been glaring death at them since they’d sat down in the booth. He was chattering away about what’d been going on with him lately, waving his hands around animatedly as he described something about Cale and the costume room and sequins.

“Wait, sequins?”

“We might have said something about his manly honor being at stake,” Kris said with a devilish grin.

“You’re so pretty.”

Brad smirked when that earned him a blush and a sheepish smile. He rolled his eyes at the protests Kris started making. Well, it was true. Kris _was_ pretty. He looked over at Adam and noticed the sappy smile he was aiming at Kris.

Oh.

Kris dipped a finger into the whipped cream on his sundae, sucking the digit into his mouth with a moan that was just this side of pornographic. Adam’s eyes darkened, tongue darting out to lick his lips as he watched Kris’ mouth.

 _ **Oh**_.

Brad _definitely_ knew that look.

To matchmake or not to matchmake? Maybe he’d give them a nudge in that direction and go from there. Just because Kris was exactly Adam’s type didn’t mean Adam was Kris’.

Besides, the last time he checked, Kris was dating some girl, one he’d been with since he’d started high school. She was blonde and perky, and had made it her personal mission to rule the school before she graduated. He should probably check that out.

“You _are_ pretty, Kris. Your girlfriend must be loving it.”

Kris squirmed uncomfortably. “About that… Katy and I broke up over the summer.”

“But you two have been dating since you were freshmen!”

“Well, we decided to call things off.”

Kris was avoiding his eyes and scratching at the back of his neck nervously.

“Why? Were you two not in love or whatever anymore?”

Nothing.

“Did she cheat on you?”

Nothing.

“Did _you_ cheat on _her_?”

A glare.

Brad held up his hands defensively. “Just checking! So, why? Did one of you decide you bat for the other team or something?”

A slow, pink flush crept its way down from Kris’ cheeks to his neck.

“Oh my god! Who? You? Her? Both? I can’t imagine the Queen Bee going exclusively for girls, but both, possibly. She seems pretty damn toppy, too. As for you, Kristopher, well, I can’t say I’d be surprised. You’re so freaking affectionate and cuddly with everyone. That and I’m pretty sure most of the boys who’ve met you want nothing more than to screw you blind. You’re like a gay man’s wet dream.”

Kris, the poor thing, was bright red at this point and edging further and further away from Brad until he was almost falling out of the booth.

Okay, so he was laying it on a bit thick, but it was for the greater good.

“Brad! Lay off him. You want to move over here?”

Brad could hear the “baby” that was lurking at the end of that sentence.

Kris seemed stunned by the offer, but moved quickly to the other side of the booth, snuggling into Adam’s side instantly.

Kris Allen: Cuddle Whore struck again.

Adam appeared bewildered by the teen tucked under his arm. Brad was enjoying this. Seeing him get flustered was so rare.

After a few minutes of watching Kris and Adam cuddle, Brad pouted when Kris’ head jerked up from Adam’s shoulder and he started shifting away from him, eyes fixed firmly on the table. Adam frowned at the loss of the cuddly teen, hiding it with a sip of his water.

“Sorry,” Kris murmured, staring up at Adam through long lashes.

Brad resisted the urge to call the waiter over and ask if they served popcorn.

“It’s fine. I don’t mind.”

“Really?”

The sweetness in the smile Adam gave Kris made Brad melt a little.

“Really.”

And want to puke. Melt into a puddle of puke? Ew. Maybe not.

“I hate to interrupt this precious moment you two are having, but, Kris, seriously. What happened?”

He put aside his amusement at the embarrassed looks on both their faces. This was serious. Kris and Katy had been together for as long as Brad had known him. They’d been the sickeningly sweet golden couple, the epitome of high school sweethearts.

Kris shrugged. “We kind of just grew apart. It started to feel like we were staying together because people expected us to last forever. And you know how Katy is. She wasn’t staying with someone she didn’t really want to keep.”

“Is she brain-dead? Why _wouldn’t_ she want to keep you?”

“Well,” Kris said, picking up a straw wrapper and fiddling with it, “I kind of might not be entirely straight.”

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

“What?!”

Oh, great. People were starting to stare at them. This wasn’t the place to have this discussion. Especially if Brad decided to make any more shocked exclamations. Kris squirmed under his intent gaze, shuffling back into the shelter of Adam’s arms.

“Brad, don’t interrogate the poor boy.”

Adam’s arm wrapped around Kris, pulling him in closer. He buried his face in Adam’s neck and Brad tried not to sigh sappily at how easily they fit against each other.

“Hey, Kris, honey, I’m sorry. I was just a little…surprised.”

Understatement. Major understatement.

“S’okay,” Kris mumbled, turning his face away from the safety of Adam’s neck and meeting Brad’s eyes.

“It’s a bit of a shock. You two were so sweet it was sickening.”

Kris rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that’s what people kept saying when word got around. I just got sick of it, you know? I mean, I loved her and we’re not mortal enemies now or anything, but things between us stopped being good a while before we called it quits.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, sweetie. What went wrong? And how the hell did you maybe not being entirely straight even get involved?”

Adam shot him a warning look and started running his fingers through Kris’ hair, making his eyes close in contentment.

Somehow, he thought that they’d be just fine without any matchmaking attempted on his part.

“You’re being pushy, Bradley.”

Brad stuck his tongue out at him. Exes. After you became friends, they thought they were allowed to pick on you again.

“I just want to know what happened. This is a major change in Kris’ life, and I wasn’t aware of it until just now.” He reached across the table to grab hold of Kris’ hand, ignoring Adam’s glare. “Kris, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to talk about it right now, but I’m getting the details out of you sooner or later. This is kind of a big deal.”

“I know.” Kris let out a loud sigh and rubbed his eyes, looking exhausted. “Like I said, we were over a long time before we made it official. Katy and I had been on the outs for most of junior year. She was taking on more activities and AP classes and all that, so she was really stressed most of the time. She was telling me to be more ambitious, get more things on my record so colleges would be more impressed. Told me to stop focusing on music only,” he said with a wry smile.

“That bitch!”

Adam and Kris–he should give them a portmanteau couple name or something; Adris? Kradam? –stared at him in shock.

“What? Kris, anyone who knows you knows that separating you and music is impossible.” Brad smirked. “Just like Adam.”

“She wasn’t telling me to give it up,” Kris said insistently. “Just to start broadening my horizons.”

“Yeah, I bet you broadened your horizons.”

The look Adam gave Brad for that remark could’ve obliterated him on the spot. And possibly everyone in here that wasn’t Adam or Kris.

“Chill, princess. Kris is a big boy; he can handle himself. He knows I don’t mean any of it.”

“I’ve missed that attitude of yours, Cheeks.”

Oh, fuck.

“Cheeks?” Adam looked like the cat that ate the fucking canary.

“Old theatre nickname, don’t worry about it.”

Brad gave Kris a pleading look, but when it was met with an evil–the closest Kris could come to evil anyway–grin, he groaned loudly in displeasure; Adam was going to love this little anecdote. Mostly because he’d never let him hear the end of it.

“He never told you? Brad earned that little nickname during his junior year. He was in the wings doing a quick-change, and his back was turned to the stage. Brad got changed, no problems whatsoever.” Kris paused to give Brad a mischievous smirk. “Or so he thought.”

“What happened?”

God. Adam only looked that interested in what Kris was saying because one, Kris was so damn adorable that people couldn’t help looking interested when he spoke; two, he wanted to get into Kris’ pants or some shit like that; and three, he was going to use it against Brad for the rest of his life.

“After the show, some guy–he looked like he was about twenty–came up to Brad and told him he had nice cheeks. Brad stood there and looked kind of confused, until the guy kept talking and said he liked his thong.” Kris was barely getting the words out in between chuckles, laughing so hard that he was almost lying in Adam’s lap. “He was in the audience’s sight line the entire time he was changing, and the first two rows had a great view of his bare ass!”

Adam was looking down at Kris with a fond smile. “What did Brad do?”

Kris sat back up, wiping a few tears from his eyes. “He slapped the guy and made him apologize. And then he got his number.”

“Did he, now?” Adam’s tone was carefully casual, the way it sounded when he was preparing for an argument.

Brad rolled his eyes. “We were already over by then, you jackass.”

“Oh. Okay.”

He went back to making eyes at Kris immediately. Psh. Men.

“You were together?” Kris asked, looking back and forth between them.

“For a year and a half. But then I decided I was too good for him so we broke up.”

Brad thought it definitely showed how far they’d come since that break up that Adam laughed it off with him instead of looking like he’d been stabbed in the back.

“Oh.”

For once, Kris’ face was unreadable, and the rest of the time they were at the restaurant, he was subdued and withdrawn. He just sat there staring into space, chewing on his straw and sipping at an empty glass.

The ride to Brad’s house was a bit tense. Kris sat curled up by the window, mumbling something unintelligible whenever he tried to get him to talk. Soon, Adam was making the turn onto his street.

Brad leaned over to whisper in Kris’ ear. “Look, I don’t know why you’re acting like such an ass, but if you’re freaking out about Adam being my ex, don’t. He likes you, you seem to like him. No big.”

Kris finally looked away from the window and faced Brad. His eyes darted to Adam, who didn’t appear to be paying them any attention. He hoped the radio would cover up their conversation. “He’s the Adam who broke your heart, yes?”

“More or less. The heart breaking went both ways. But, Kris, it’s okay. We’re both okay now. If you like him, then go for it. It’s alright.”

Kris bit his lip nervously, eyes darting to an unaware Adam who was focusing completely on the road.

“I don’t know. He’s nice. And I think I could like him.”

“It took you like five seconds to start making eyes at each other. I think it’s safe to say you like each other. But, seriously, stop acting like a frigid bitch. It’s not you at all.”

“Asshole,” he said, jostling Brad with his shoulder.

The car came to a stop and Brad exited the car, rolling his eyes when Kris didn’t move. He swatted at him. “Go move to the passenger seat! Do I have to do everything for you?”

Kris merely raised an eyebrow at him, unimpressed. Brad glared at him with his arms crossed, saying everything he wanted to with his own raised brow. Kris sighed and got out of the car, moving to the front seat. He sat down with a sigh and flipped off a laughing Brad.

“It was fun, boys, but I need to get my beauty sleep. You know where to take the little one?”

Adam nodded. “He lives right across the street from me.”

“Since when?” Kris asked, mouth gaping open.

Brad choked back a laugh at the obvious lust that flashed across Adam’s face as he stared at Kris’ lips. Oh, he bet Adam was thinking of all the things he could do to that mouth.

“Since always. I just didn’t notice until you told me your address.”

“Oh.”

Brad sauntered over to the driver’s side, giving Adam a friendly peck on the lips. “Be nice to the boy. Or there will be a whole fucking army after your blood.”

Adam scoffed, obviously not taking him seriously. Oh well; his funeral.

“Kris, sweetie, I’ll see you next week. We’ll have a heart-to-heart or something. It’ll be nice and Lifetime movie worthy.”

Kris chuckled. “Sure, Cheeks. See you then. Just give me a call.”

Brad waved at them as they drove away, a small smile on his face.

He had a good feeling about this.

~*~

Kris was an idiot. Ugh. _How_ was he this stupid? How did he not realize that this Adam was the same Adam who had been Brad’s first serious boyfriend; who had later become Brad’s first love and then, at the bitter end, his first heartbreak?

It looked like Brad and Adam had fixed things between them and become close friends once more–close enough that they kissed hello and goodbye, and, no, that did _not_ make him jealous–but it was still kind of weird. He was pretty sure going out with your friend’s ex went against some sort of Super Sacred Code of Friendship–even if he did technically have permission.

“How do you feel about taking a detour?”

Kris shook his head to clear it and turned to face Adam. What had he just said? Crap. Had Adam been talking this whole time? Wait, a detour?

“What exactly do you mean by detour?”

Adam was looking at him the way people looked at a kitten playing with a ball of yarn, or when they looked up and saw a rainbow. It made his stomach churn and his heart speed up. It was actually kind of nice.

“I don’t know. Stop by Hilltop or something. Talk for a bit. I don’t know you very well, but the way Brad talks about you, I think I should.”

“What does Brad say about me?”

Knowing Brad, it could be anything from something honestly sincere to a crack about how he was a less glittery imitation of Brad’s own greatness.

“You’re the most genuine person he’s ever met. If the world had more people like you in it, it’d be a less shitty place.”

Oh. Wow. When Brad took the time to say what he really felt, it took Kris’ breath away. He’d been around the wisecracking Brad for so long that he’d forgotten the Brad who always pulled him into a hug when he wanted to feel better, who he talked to late at night when no one else would.

Who had been in love with Adam and cried on Kris’ shoulder when things between them hadn’t worked out.

That nagging feeling of guilt grew stronger, screaming at him to say “no” and just get the hell home and out of this car.

“I actually got sick of hearing about how great you were. But I’m inclined to agree with him after meeting you,” he added hurriedly when Kris’ face fell.

Kris bit his lip nervously. He had no idea what to do. On one hand, Adam was into him and it was kind of mutual. It’d been a long time since he’d actually been interested in anyone. There was no shortage of people who wanted Kris, but he hadn’t felt that spark with any of them. With Adam, that spark was constant, sizzling underneath his skin until he felt like it was a tangible thing.

On the other, this was the same Adam who had broken Brad’s heart.

After a long, tense silence, he put his hand on Kris’ shoulder cautiously, eyes soft and gentle. “Hey. You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“I–”

Kris stopped. What was he going to say? I don’t want to be alone with you because you broke my friend’s heart a while back, but you’re the first person I’ve been interested in in like forever and this car looks really comfortable, so who knows what we could do in that backseat?

Yeah, no.

Except Adam kept looking at him in that rainbows and kittens way and it made him want to do something. Probably something R-rated.

“I’m making you uncomfortable.” His tone wasn’t hurt, just matter of fact.

“I, umm, a little bit? I just, you and Brad used to- and I don’t…”

Adam smiled at him, and Kris found himself thinking that the sun or the stars or every single natural wonder in the galaxy couldn’t compare to that smile. He’d only known Adam for a few hours and he was already writing love sonnets to him in his head.

That had to mean something, right?

“I understand,” he said, and Kris could tell it was sincere, but there was a rueful edge to his words.

He never liked it when people were sad; even more so when he was the cause of it.

“It’s not that I don’t like you! Even with the whole you and Brad having history thing, because Brad said that it’s okay if we…you know, whatever. It’s just that it’s been so long since I’ve even thought about anything remotely related to dating. I was with Katy for so long and she called most of the shots; I have no idea what I’m supposed to do. And she’s not like outwardly hostile or anything, but I can tell she’s not happy because she considers our relationship a failure–Katy doesn’t like failing–and I’m paranoid that she’s going to swoop down on me and exact some sort of cruel, torturous revenge. But I really, _really_ like you, which is insane because I’ve only known you for a few hours, but it’s the first time in a long while I’ve been interested in anyone, and the first time it’s ever been this intense.”

Which usually resulted in him saying way more than he needed to in an attempt to make them feel better.

Adam didn’t say anything in reply, just stared at him, eyes so tender and warm, a small smile quirking his lips. He was starting to think that Adam’s default expression was the kittens and rainbows look.

“You’re something else, Kris.”

“Is that a good thing?”

He laughed loudly, and Kris felt a smile spread across his face at the sound. “It’s a very good thing.”

They sat in a comfortable silence for some time. Kris looked around and realized they were almost at their block. The night was almost over and they were almost home. But he didn’t want to go home, not yet.

He knew what he wanted to do instead.

Adam had put on his signal and was ready to make the turn when Kris put a hand on his arm. He looked at him questioningly and Kris let out a big breath.

“Yes.”

Adam looked at him in confusion. “Yes, what?”

“Yes, I’d like to take a detour. If you still want to?”

The sun, the stars, every single natural wonder in the galaxy, were nothing compared to the smile on Adam’s face when he drove on past their street.

~*~

Hilltop was especially pretty at night. Adam had always thought so. He’d spent so many nights just sitting up here and looking down at the houses and all the lights. It’d felt otherworldly to sit here at the top and feel like everything else was so much smaller; like it wasn’t important. It’d been his sanctuary, his own little place to come to when he needed nothing but the quiet.

Surprisingly, the park was empty when they pulled up. Hilltop was usually a pretty crowded place, but he wasn’t complaining about the solitude. He liked the idea that he had Kris to himself, even if it was only for now.

Kris had surprised him when he’d said he wouldn’t mind taking a detour. The words had been accompanied by a crooked grin that he just wanted to kiss over and over again. He was something, alright.

He resisted the urge to drag Kris into the backseat as soon as they parked. He didn’t think either of them would mind if he did that, but it was the principle of the thing. The poor thing seemed confused, mostly. Plus, Adam would feel like the world’s biggest asshole if he took advantage of someone who was that sweet.

They walked out of the car, almost touching but not quite, as they made their way to a table. Kris lay sprawled on the table surface while Adam sat on the bench. He let out a content sigh as his eyes roamed over the land below them, the downtown lights bright in the distance.

He hummed a song, something Danielle had shown him but he couldn’t remember the name of. He didn’t even know the song’s words, just the melody. It was haunting and lilting, fitting for the stillness at this time of night. He wasn’t singing very loud, but it was silent except for his voice floating through the air.

Adam glanced over at Kris and the song trailed off into nothing at the look in his eyes. He was looking at him as if he’d never seen him before. There was still that mix of confusion and desire that’d been there the entire night, but now there was awe in those brown eyes as well.

“Am I bothering you?”

“No,” he said breathily. He looked like he’d been drugged, eyes wide and intent on Adam’s face, his lips. “No, not at all. I’ve never heard a voice like that before. You’re amazing. I can’t even–” Kris stopped talking, staring at him in wonder.

It made Adam flustered in a way he’d thought he had long moved past. Comments on his voice didn’t really faze him anymore–not that anyone could see, anyway–but the genuine admiration in Kris’ voice and eyes was hard to ignore. He looked like he couldn’t even get his brain to properly come up with a sentence. It was starting to get ridiculous how adorable he was.

“You know, if you weren’t so cute, I’d think the way you’ve been staring at me is creepy.”

He could faintly make out Kris’ blush in the glow of the lamplight. Adam reached up and tugged on Kris’ hand, gesturing to the empty spot next to him. He sat up and slid onto the bench, shivering a little. Concrete was great at sapping away your body heat. Adam wrapped an arm around him, pulling him in close to warm him up.

“I could sing you something. If you want.”

He felt Kris’ nod against his chest and began to sing.

~*~

He let Adam’s voice wash over him. His eyes fell shut and he nuzzled in closer. Part of him thought he should be freaking out about how easy–how right–it felt to be with Adam. Another part didn’t care because Adam was warm and his voice was ethereal. He thought that he could listen to his voice forever and never get tired of it.

This wasn’t the first time he’d heard Adam sing. He’d been a freshman the first time, hiding in the booth from the-then head honcho, Kelly. She’d been out for blood and someone had blamed him for a set change gone awry.

Adam had been a senior, sick of high school and more than ready to get it over with. He tended to hang out in the theatre after school for no real reason, but a lot of them did that. When a show was going on, they all whined and moaned about how they had to stay late, but when they didn’t have to, they ended up staying anyway. It was home, sometimes more so than their actual homes were.

He didn’t know why Adam had been there, or why he’d been singing, but he remembered it with startling clarity. It’d been a sad song, something angry and passionate and filled with despair. Kris remembered feeling as if he’d watched Adam cut out his own heart and throw it onstage for all to see. It wasn’t the best metaphor–it was pretty gross, actually, if you took it literally–but it fit. He’d laid himself bare and it’d made his own heart hurt to watch. He’d also felt like an intruder, and so he left, heart aching for the vulnerable man onstage.

This time, Adam knew he was there; was singing _for_ him, even. There was no despair this time, just the sound of Adam’s voice, clear and beautiful and filled with something he couldn’t quite describe.

The song ended, the last note ringing in the air, silvery and pure.

Kris sighed dreamily. “I love listening to you sing. It’s magical.”

He felt Adam’s laughter before he heard it. A hand ran through his hair fondly.

“You are something else, Kris. You really are.”

Reluctantly, he lifted his head from Adam’s shoulder so they could be face-to-face.

“You keep saying that.”

Adam crinkled his nose in thought and it made Kris want to bury his face in his chest and hug him forever.

“I know. But I mean it,” he said, that brilliant smile on his face making Kris’ heart thump in his chest, so sure that Adam could hear it in the silence all around them.

He was staring at Kris, asking a silent question he wasn’t entirely sure he had an answer to. Adam just kept looking at him, waiting patiently for something. Kris didn’t know what for; he didn’t like to wait, especially when he didn’t know why.

The silence was starting to feel oppressive, the easiness between them melting away and being replaced by tension. Kris opened his mouth to speak, but Adam put a hand to his lips, his thumb running over Kris’ bottom lip.

He felt caught.

Adam leaned in, lips hovering close to his own.

Kris closed the distance between them.


End file.
